Former Bears great Harlon Hill dies at 80

In this Dec. 21, 1954 file photo, Chicago Bears football player Harlon Hill poses for a portrait. Hill, the former star receiver for the Bears whose name adorns the NCAA Division II college football player of the year trophy, died Thursday, March 21, 2013, at Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence, Ala., after a lengthy illness, said Jeff Hodges, chairman of the National Harlon Hill Award Committee. He was 80. (AP Photo/File) ORG XMIT: NY161(Photo: AP)

FLORENCE, Ala. -- Harlon Hill, the former star receiver for the Chicago Bears whose name adorns the NCAA Division II player of the year trophy, has died. He was 80. Jeff Hodges, chairman of the National Harlon Hill Award Committee, says Hill died Thursday at Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence after a lengthy illness.

Hill, who attended North Alabama, was the NFL rookie of the year in 1954 after being drafted in the 15th round by the Bears, and became the first winner of the Jim Thorpe Trophy as the NFL's most valuable player in 1955.